2 Chronicles 29
Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Abijah Bint Zakariyya. 2He did that which was right in the eyes of Allah, according to all that Dawud his father had done. 3He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of Allah, and repaired them. 4He brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the broad place on the east, 5and said to them, Hear me, you Levites; now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of Allah, the God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place. 6For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the sight of Allah our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the dwelling place of Allah, and turned their backs. 7Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. 8Therefore the wrath of Allah was on Judah and Jerusalem, and he has delivered them to be tossed back and forth, to be an astonishment, and a hissing, as you see with your eyes. 9For, behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. 10Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with Allah, the God of Israel, that his fierce anger may turn away from us. 11My sons, do not be negligent now; for Allah has chosen you to stand before him, to minister to him, and that you should be his ministers, and burn incense. 12Then the Levites arose, Mahath Ibn Amasai, and Joel Ibn Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites; and of the sons of Merari, Kish Ibn Abdi, and Azariah Ibn Jehallelel; and of the Gershonites, Joah Ibn Zimmah, and Eden Ibn Joah; 13and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and of the sons of Asaph, Zakariyya and Mattaniah; 14and of the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. 15They gathered their brothers, and sanctified themselves, and went in, according to the commandment of the king by the words of Allah, to cleanse the house of Allah. 16The priests went in to the inner part of the house of Allah, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of Allah into the court of the house of Allah. The Levites took it, to carry it out abroad to the brook Kidron. 17Now they began on the first day of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came they to the porch of Allah; and they sanctified the house of Allah in eight days: and on the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end. 18Then they went in to Hezekiah the king within the palace, and said, We have cleansed all the house of Allah, and the altar of burnt offering, with all its vessels, and the table of show bread, with all its vessels. 19Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away when he trespassed, have we prepared and sanctified; and, behold, they are before the altar of Allah. 20Then Hezekiah the king arose early, and gathered the princes of the city, and went up to the house of Allah. 21They brought seven bulls, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven male goats, for a sin-offering for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Judah. He commanded the priests the sons of Harun to offer them on the altar of Allah. 22So they killed the bulls, and the priests received the blood, and sprinkled it on the altar: and they killed the rams, and sprinkled the blood on the altar: they killed also the lambs, and sprinkled the blood on the altar. 23They brought near the male goats for the sin-offering before the king and the assembly; and they laid their hands on them: 24and the priests killed them, and they made a sin-offering with their blood on the altar, to make atonement for all Israel; for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin-offering should be made for all Israel. 25He set the Levites in the house of Allah with cymbals, with lyres, and with harps, according to the commandment of Dawud, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet; for the commandment was of Allah by his prophets. 26The Levites stood with the instruments of Dawud, and the priests with the trumpets. 27Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering on the altar. When the burnt offering began, the song of Allah began also, and the trumpets, together with the instruments of Dawud king of Israel. 28All the assembly worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. 29When they had made an end of offering, the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped. 30Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praises to Allah with the words of Dawud, and of Asaph the seer. They sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped. 31Then Hezekiah answered, Now you have consecrated yourselves to Allah; come near and bring sacrifices and thank-offerings into the house of Allah. The assembly brought in sacrifices and thank-offerings; and as many as were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings. 32The number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs: all these were for a burnt offering to Allah. 33The consecrated things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep. 34But the priests were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings: therefore their brothers the Levites helped them, until the work was ended, and until the priests had sanctified themselves; for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests. 35Also the burnt offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace-offerings, and with the drink-offerings for every burnt offering. So the service of the house of Allah was set in order. 36Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, because of that which God had prepared for the people: for the thing was done suddenly.